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15 

UNITED  STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU   OF  ANIMAL   INDUSTRY, 

A.  D.  MELVIN,  Chief  of  Bureau.         '//  ^ 


CICUTA  (WATER   HEMLOCK)  AS   A  POISONOUS  PLANT.^ 

By  C.  D.  Marsh,  A.  B.  Clawson,  and  H.  Marsh,  oJ  the  Pathological  Division. 

Among  poisonous  plants  special  interest  attaches  to  CiciTta,  since 
it  is  probably  the  most  violently  poisonous  of  the  plants  in  temperate 
regions.  Although  it  is  widely  distributed  and  is  annually  the  cause  of 
many  deaths,  both  of  domestic  animals  and  of  human  beings,  its 
poisonous  character,  unfortunately,  is  not  generally  recognized.  This 
is  true  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  genus,  which  occurs  in  Europe  as 
well  as  in  America,  has  been  known  to  be  poisonous  since  the  middle 
hi  the  seventeenth  century,  and  many  accounts  have  been  written 
o'  the  terrible  results  from  eating  Cicuta  roots. 

COMMON  NAMES  OF  CICUTA. 

Cicuta  has  a  considerable  number  of  popular  names.  Perhaps  it 
is  most  commonly  known  as  "cowbane"  or  ''water  hemlock."  In  the 
mountain  regions  of  the  West  it  is  frequently  called  ''parsnip"  or 
■'wild  parsnip."  Other  names,  less  common,  are  "snakeroot," 
'snakeweed,"  "beaver  poison,"  "muskrat  weed,"  "spotted  hem- 
lock,"  and  "spotted  parsley." 

HOW  TO  RECOGNIZE  CICUTA. 

It  is  difficult  and  perhaps  impossible  to  give  a  description  of  the 
plant  which  may  be  intelligible  to  one  who  has  not  some  botanical 
knowledge.  Figure  1,  which  shows  a  species  found  on  the  western 
coast  of  the  United  States,  gives  a  general  idea  of  the  appearance  of 
the  plant. 

Cicuta  is  an  umbelliferous  plant,  and  belongs  to  the  same  family  as 
the  carrot,  parsnip,  etc.  It  grows  in  wet  places  and  is  especially 
common  in  some  parts  of  the  West  along  irrigating  ditches.  Un- 
fortunately it  resembles  rather  .closely  a  number  of  harmless  plants 
which  grow  under  the  same  conditions.  It  has  a  thickened  rDotstock, 
to  which  are  attached  roots  which  may  be  slender  as  in  the  picture 
(fig.  2)  or  may  be  in  the  form  of  a  cluster  of  thickened,  fleshy  tubers. 
h  the  longitudinal  section  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  rootstock  has  a 
number  of  transverse  chambers.    These  chambers  are  not  always  so  dis- 

1  A  more  extended  account  of  Cicuta  and  its  poisonous  effects  can  be  found  in  Bulletin  69,  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Agriculture.    This  bulletin  can  be  obtained  from  the  Superintendent  of  Documents,  Gov- 
vrnment  Printing  Office,  Washington  .D.  C,  for  10  cents. 
87870-17 


CICUTA    AS    A    POISONOUS    PLANT. 


tinct  as  shown  in  the  illustration,  but  they  are  alwa^'s  preswit,  a^id  it 
is  by  them  that  the  plant  is  readily  distinguished  from  most  pianJ:s 
growing  in  similar  situations.  Botanists  recognize  several  species, 
but  they  are  very  closely  related  and  all  have  the  chambered  root- 
stock.  So  far  as 
known,  all  the  spe- 
cies are  poisonous. 

THE    POISONING    OF 
HUMAN  BEINGS. 

The  curiosity  of 
children,  which  often 
leads  them  to  eat 
strange  roots,  is  the 
cause  of  most  of  the 
cases  of  poisoning  of 
human  beings.  Oc- 
casionally  older  peo- 
ple are  affected  with 
the  same  curiosity, 
with  similar  results. 
Cases  of  poisoning 
are  more  frequent  in 
the  spring,  parti}' 
because  the  roots  are 
more  likely  to  be  no- 
ticed at  that  time 
and  partly  because 
they  seem  to  be  more 
poisonous  then  than 
later  in  the  season. 
Every  year  a  consid- 
erable number  of 
instances  of  poison- 

Fl(i.  1.— Leaves  and  flowers  of  Cicuta  vagans  {wnier  hemiovk).  u\cr     are     reOOrted    tO 

the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  of  the  Ignited  States  Department  of 
Agriculture,  but  it  is  probable  that  only  a  small  proportion  of  the 
actual  number  is  made  public.  Many  of  these  cases  recover,  but 
unfortunately  the  proportion  of  fatalities  is  large. 

THE  POISONING  OF  LIVE  STOCK. 

In  the  aggregate  the  loss  of  domestic  animals  fromCicuta  poisoning 
is  not  large,  but  individual  owners  may  lose  rather  heavily.  Occa- 
sionally the  stock  eat  roots  that  have  been  washed  out  by  the  high 
water  in  small  streams.     Farmers  in  their  plowing  sometimes  bring 


CICUTA    AS    A    POISONOUS    PLANT. 


|o  the  surface  a  considerable  number  of  roots,  ajul  these  are  eaten  by 
cattle,  with  resulting  sickness  and  death.     It  has  been  stated  that 
jiter  has  been  poisoned  by  roots  broken  by  the  trampling  of  cattle, 
tut  these  stories  are  not  well  authenticated. 
Most  of  the  accounts  of  the  loss  of  domestic  animals  refer  to  cattle, 

but  sheep,  horses,  and  swine  are  sometimes  killed,  and  there  is  no 

doubt  that  Cicuta  is 

poisonous  to  all  the 

higher  animals. 

SYMPTOMS     OF     CI- 
CUTA POISONING. 

The  symptoms  of 
Cicuta  poisoning  in 
man  are  pain  in  the 
stomach,  nausea, 
sometimes  leading 
to  violent  vomiting, 
diarrhea,  dilated  pu- 
pils, labored,  ster- 
torous breathing, 
sometimes  frothing 
at  the  mouth,  w^eak 
and  rapid  pulse,  and 
violent  convulsions. 

In  the  lower  ani- 
mals the  symptoms 
are  like  those  in  man, 
but  less  pronounced. 
The  first  symptom  is 
generally  frothing  at 


the  mouth, 


foUowed 
and 


Fig.  2.— Rootstock  and  first  leaves  of  Cicuta  vagans.    The  upper 
figure  shows  the  transverse  chambers  of  the  rootstock. 


by  uneasiness 
pain.  This  is  suc- 
ceeded by  violent,  intermittent  convulsions  in  which  the  animal 
kicks,  sometimes  extending  the  legs  rigidly,  throwing  back  the  head, 
and  beUow^ing  and  groaning  as  though  in  great  pain.  There  are  pe- 
culiar spasmodic  contractions  of  the  diaphragm  which  take  the  place 
of  vomiting  in  man.  In  fatal  cases  the  convulsions  grow  more  vio- 
lent until  terminated  by  death,  which  results  from  respiratoryfailure. 

QUANTITY  OF  CICUTA  NECESSARY  TO  POISON. 

The  Cicuta  root  is  extremely  poisonous.  Just  how  much  must  be 
eaten  to  produce  ilhiess  or  death  is  not  known,  and  the  (quantity  prob- 
ably varies.     While  there  is  reason  to  think  that  it  is  more  poisonous 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


CICUTA 


3  1262  08925  9609 


in  spring  than  later  in  the  season,  a  very  httle  at  any  time  of  the  yea 
may  cause  ilbiess  or  even  death. 

PART  OF  THE  PLANT  POISONOUS. 

The  rootstock  of  Cicuta  is  always  poisonous.  Cases  have  been 
reported  of  the  poisoning  of  live  stock  from  eating  the  tops,  both 
green  and  in  hay,  but  careful  experiments  by  the  Office  of  Poisonous- 
Plant  Investigations  have  shown  quite  conclusively  that  there  is  no 
danger  from  the  leaves  or  seeds,  either  w^hen  eaten  green  or  when 
dried  in  hay.  Poisoning  results  only  from  the  ingestion  of  the  roots^ 
and  the  fact  that  Cicuta  tops  are  sometimes  gathered  with  the  hay 
which  is  made  on  irrigated  farms  need  give  the  farmer  no  concern^ 
provided  the  roots  are  not  included. 

REMEDIES  FOR  CICUTA  POISONING. 

In  cases  of  the  poisoning  of  human  beings  the  recognized  treatment 
is  to  give  an  efficient  emetic,  followed  by  a  cathartic.  Some  form  of 
opium  may  be  given  to  control  the  convulsions  when  they  are  violent. 
If  free  vomiting  is  promptly  produced,  the  patient  is  likely  to  recover. 

It  is  obvious  that  ruminant  animals  can  not  be  treated  in  this  way, 
for  the  effective  clearing  of  the  stomach  is  impossible.  While  hypo- 
dermic injections  of  morphin  may  be  used  to  aid  in  controlling  the 
convulsions  and  a  purgative  may  help  in  eliminating  the  poison,, 
ordinarily  the  convulsions  are  so  violent  that  nothing  can  be  done 
for  the  animal.  All  cases  of  poisoning  of  domestic  animals  by  Cicuta 
must  be  considered  as  practically  hopeless,  so  far  as  treatment  is  con- 
cerned. All  cases  are  not  necessarily  fatal,  for  many  recover,  but 
there  is  little,  if  anything,  which  can  be  done  to  aid  recovery. 

So  far  as  live  stock  are  concerned,  about  all  that  can  be  done  must 
be  in  the  way  of  prevention.  If  the  land  is  plowed  where  the  plant 
grows,  care  should  be  taken  that  no  roots  are  left  where  stock  can 
get  at  them.  Where  the  plants  grow  in  great  abundance,  as  the}^ 
frequently  do  along  irrigating  ditches,  it  is  desirable  to  dig  them  out. 
When  this  is  done  the  roots  should  not  be  left  on  the  surface,  but 
should  be  destroyed.  It  is  seldom  that  stock  are  poisoned  when 
grazing,  unless  they  graze  along  ditches,  where  the  plants  sometimes 
grow  almost  in  the  water  with  ver\^  little  soil  and  can  easily  be 
pulled  up. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  way  to  prevent  some  cases  of  poisoning  of 
children.  Something  might  be  accomplished,  however,  if  parents 
and  teachers  would  attempt  to  make  clear  to  children  the  danger  of 
eating  strange  roots. 


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